Nothing but Waves and a Fairytale
by ScarletDrake
Summary: Ariel hates her life. In her urge to get away she meets a guy. A handsome guy. In her journey through love, she befriends other princesses who attend her new school. But, its not as safe as people may think. Its up to her and her new friends to fix it


Oh, she hated this place. Hated it with a burning passion. Hated it with everything in her. Hated the stupid palace and her stupid sisters with their stupid boyfriends and stupid Sebastian always taking orders from her stupid father. Why couldn't she have been born normal, in a normal house with normal people who loved her? That was really all she wanted, someone to love her. Was that so hard to ask? Everyone here was just so..._stupid!_

"Ariel, wait!"

Turning around, she was met with the worried face of Urchin. Ok, he was the only thing in her life that wasn't stupid.

"Ariel, I heard. Are you okay?" he asked, out of breath.

She felt bad for storming away without letting him know first. As her best friend, he took it upon himself to know what happened in her life everyday...all day, and with her storming out Atlantica in one of her fits of rage, she knew she had worried him.

"I'm sorry, Urchin." she apologized, her gaze forward as she swam towards her favorite place to think, the abandoned ship off the the west side coastal reefs.

"Who was it this time?" he asked, swimming around her, a silent way to cheer her up: challenging her to a swimming competition. Yet this time, she didn't feel like going fast, she wanted to think.

"Just Arista's boyfriend, Fin. He hit on me...in front of her. But she was too 'bubbly' and giddy and stinkin' high to realize it."

"Aw you know Fin," Urchin said, keeping an eye out for any predictors. They were leaving the protection of Atlantica and he made it his job to keep both him and Ariel safe. "He hits on anything with a fin and shells. He's an idiot. Don't let _him _upset you like this."

"Its not just him, Urchin," she said, swiping a bit of red hair that brushed in her face "Its everyone-minus you- getting on my nerves. Every single one of my sisters hates me-"

"They dont hate you," he argued

"To my father I do nothing but exist-"

"You live and breathe to him, y'know,"

"Sebastian is on my tail about every single thing-"

"He's on everyone's tail, it comes natural to him."

"Flounder is pretending not to speak to me-"

"He'll come around. You didn't mean to cause that avalanche on his long lost parents."

Ariel sped up her swim, and Urchin stopped his. _Idiot. _Why on earth mention _that? _He just _had _to keep bringing up stuff. It was bad enough he was there to witness it. Okay, so millions of fish died in the ocean everyday, but when your best friend or, former friend, is the one that causes the death, you tend to scar a bit.

Really, it had been just another day. Wake up, find flounder, play a prank on Sebastian, wake Ariel, play a game. That kind of stuff. So yes, he was 17, but she was 16. Technically, they were teenagers, but apparently they weren't old enough to be adults, so mine as well act like children.

They started playing tag, an old favorite of his, when a mysterious couple of flounders showed up. They were all smiles with a tiny flounder swimming around them, happy and vertiginous. Ariel hadn't noticed them, but Urchin had stopped and waved.

The couple called to Flounder, the mother already waving a fin in her face, trying to send the tears out of her eyes so that they could mesh with the oceans water already. Flounder had frozen, staring at the couple with disbelieving eyes. It was almost as if he _remembered _them. It was a common known fact that Flounder was an orphan. He lived at the palace with Ariel, but never once had anyone assumed his parents might still be alive.

The couple explained the situation to Flounder. They were to poor to take care of him, they tried to do what was right, a better life for him. All that jazz. Typical orphan fairytale. He was reunited, and all was happy with the world.

But, not even a week after their stay an accident occurred. They planned on staying at the palace, so Flounder could stay with his friends. King Triton didn't give a hoot, so all was settled. They had had a celebration, for Flounder. All arranged by Ariel.

But, not to soon before that she had...adopted...a killer whale, Spot. Cute little guy, loved music. During the performance Sebastian put on, Spot snuck out of her room and tried to sing along with the music, literally, bringing down the house. The entire concert room collapsed, killing both Flounders parents and his new little sister.

No one needed to be told whether or not they had lived through it, the cloud of red water was enough to speak for itself. No one stuck around, afraid some other animal might smell the blood...and soon one did. A large shark came, taking the remains of Flounders family.

Though _technically _it wasn't Ariel's fault, Flounder put the blame on her. She had arranged the concert and she had brought Spot into the picture. That was five months ago and still he showed no signs of forgiveness. It was bad on both of their parts. While Ariel meant well, and apologized far too many times to count, he didn't care.

Urchin understood his pain, being without parents himself, but Ariel hadn't meant to kill anyone. It wasn't in her nature. Urchin would have long forgiven her...although his own feeling may have something to do with things.

To most mer-people, his feelings for her were widely known. How could he not fall for her. She was loving and carefree (not so much now, but he remembered her beautiful laugh). She had saved him when he had gotten onto a gang. Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp had lied to him, double crossing him, and yet Ariel had helped him get out of that mess. Loving her was inevitable.

Swimming over a shelf, he spotted Ariel as she swam into the back of the ship. Her fascination with 'all things human' was something he could never understand, but, what made her happy, made him happy.

He swam into the ship after her. She was sitting on a rock, looking at a 'trinket' with weird spikes on it and a handle for holding. It _had _to be some type of weapon, although she insisted it was a 'dinglehoper' made for combing hair. Normally, she held her earthen gadgets in a cave a little ways from the palace, but lately, she had been moving them further and further from Atlantica.

"I cant stay here, Urchin." she said. Urchin swam in front of her and sat on the floor, ready to argue.

"Okay," he said "We can go to the surface, you like it there."

"No," she said, much to calm for his liking "I cant stay in Atlantica."

"Ariel come on. This is your home. Your kingdom. Where are you gonna go?" he asked.

"Somewhere that isn't here. Im not happy, Urchin. I need to find a new place to be. Somewhere where I _can _be happy."

"So what, you just up and leave? Your a princess, you cant do that."

"I do it everyday. I just up and left just 10 minutes ago and no one noticed. I'd be doing he same thing, just not coming back."

"Ariel you cant-"

"I can and _will, _Urchin. And...im sorry."

"Sorry?"

"Yes, sorry. Im bringing you down, cant you see? You should be out in the ocean, living your life, but instead, your here trying to help me."

"Im happy to help you, Ariel."

"And that's why your a good friend, but it doesn't change anything. I still have to go."

"Fine," he said, exasperated, "when do we leave?"

She looked at him, flabbergasted.  
"_We're _not leaving anywhere, anytime soon. _I'm _leaving tomorrow, maybe tonight."

"You dont seriously expect me to let you go somewhere alone do you?"

He asked. Surely she wasn't serious. She was Ariel. A princess. A _beautiful_ princess. Did she think the mer-guys here would just step aside for her?

"Yes Urchin, im serious. I have to do this alone. I have to stop holding you back. _You _deserve better than this."

"You cant expect to just disappear and never return."

"You...could tell everyone I got eaten by a shark!" she said, excited. _Oh, the look on the mer-peoples faces._

"Ariel!"

"What? Its believable."

"Maybe, but _I _would know you weren't eaten by a shark. I'd worry about you every day."

"Don't. I'll be fine. I'll...go to the arctic ocean or something. Some place where I can be my own person. My own woman."

"This is about Fin, isn't it?" he asked. There _had _to be _something _making her make this idiotic decision.

"Fin?" she asked "No, this is not about Fin. In fact, I could care less about him. I probably wont even see him again, you know how often Arista changes boyfriends. All my sister are like that. They trade boyfriends and get new ones and find the old ones again. I mean really, they do it more times than Arista changes hair color."

"Hair color?"

"You know she's not a natural blonde, right?"

"You'll die." he said serious, she was getting off track "What the heck are you expecting to find out there? Its an ocean, not a playground."

"I know whats out there, Urchin. I just, want to be able to swim without watching my back all the time."

"You go out there and that's all you'll do. Unless, of course, you think sharks are supposed to be latched onto you tail."

"I need a swim." she said, getting off her rock and swimming out the ship and upwards.

She really didn't understand why he couldn't understand. She needed to go. She needed to be free. Far away from the chaos and hate and death that surrounded her. As her best friend, she expected him to support her, distract guards while she made her escape...BE HELPFUL!

She broke the surface with a gasp. Switching from breathing under water and breathing air was getting easier, but it always felt odd. She coughed up a bit of water that was still in her lungs just as Urchin broke the surface. She spit the water in his face, then smiled sheepishly when she realized what she had done.

He dunked his head underwater and came back up, clearing his face of her spit.

"Wouldn't it be nice if I could run away here?" she asked, looking longingly in the direction she knew had land.

"Well," Urchin said, unemotional "Here kind of reminds me of down there." he motioned his head towards the water.

She slapped his arm lightly. "Not _here _here. But there, as in 'on land'."

"Its to dry." he said plainly, jumping out the water and making his way to the rock he knew Scuttle like to be on.

Ariel caught up with him easily and as she expected, Scuttle was perched on his rock, playing with an anchor that seemed to be stuck on his leg.

"Hey, kid." he said as Urchin and Ariel approached "I got some wonderful news!"

Ariel and Urchin both looked at him, waiting for this 'wonderful news' to come.

"Well..." Urchin said, after a moment.

"Well, what?" Scuttle asked, now clearly struggling to get out of the anchors grasp.

"Well," Ariel said, giggling "You said you had wonderful news. What is it?"

"Oh!" Scuttle yelled, "How'd you know? You two are good. Follow me and I'll take you!"

Scuttle flapped his wings, only, the anchor around his leg wouldn't give. Urchin untied him and Scuttle smiled, as if he had broken the chains himself...which in reality, he probably thought he did. Ariel smiled, jumping in and out of the water after Scuttle. Urchin hung back a bit. He really did love her laugh...and giggles...and smile...and hair...and everything else about her.

Ariel took a deep breath after a moment and slowed down. She could swim for hours on end...underwater. Outside of it was a bit hard to swim in. It required keen and experienced eyes that adapted to under water and out of water quickly, a lot of momentum so that she could actually break the surface (again and again), and a good amount of speed.

"Scuttle?" she called, while in the air.

She waited for him to look down at her. "Hey!" he called "Where are we going? Your taking me around the world, here."

She resisted the urge to slap herself, and hit Scuttle with a sea shell. "The surprise, Scuttle. Remember? Your taking _us_, REMEBER?"

"Oh yeah," he said, changing directions quickly.

They passed the rock he had been sitting on when they saw him first and swam by it. Sometimes, that bird had the brain the size of a shrimp. A very, very, _very, _small shrimp. But, he wasn't mad at her, he didn't hit on her, he acknowledged that she was alive, and he made her smile. They were friends and she cherished him greatly.

Another few minutes went by, and finally, they reached scuttles surprise. She held he chest, but this time it wasn't because she was out of breath, this time, it was because Scuttle had led her to a boat. No, more like a ship. Much like the one she hung out in, only, this one floated! Lights danced in the sky and exploded in a bomb of different colors.

"Yup," Scuttle said, landing on Urchin's shoulder. "I know you were feeling pretty bad lately, so I arranged this for ya."

"You didn't do this." Urchin argued "You cant even remember your own name."

"I can too, Franklin!" he said, crossing his feathers.

"It's Urchin. Ur-chin. URCHIN. I've been telling you for years now!"

"What about my mom?"

"Your mom?"

"You did _not _just say, my mom."

"No, I didn't. Well, I did, just not in the way your saying."

"My mom is _not _an idiot. So what she dropped be when we were flying one day when I was a baby. It's _your _fault."

"How is it _my _fault? I didn't even know y-"

"Ah! Don't try and apologize now. It too late."

Ariel ignored their banter and dove under the water. She came up again, gasping and spitting, next to the boat. After a bit of effort, she was able to grab a lose rope and get herself onto a small shelf that stuck out.

Looking through a gap in the boat, she was met with feet. Feet were everywhere. They moved in graceful ways, twirling and spinning and hoping every which way. She tilted her head upwards, so she could get a good look at the humans. _Never _had she ever seen one so close before. She had seen them on the shore from a distance before, but they disappeared long before she ever reached land.

They wore odd things on them. It must have been these decorations that hid the woman's shells. Because she couldn't find any.

Then something...someone...caught her eyes. It wasn't the furry, slobbery creature. It was whoever was playing with the furry, slobbery creature. The man had shoulder length black hair that swayed as he danced and played with the furry creature. He was clearly built, strong and masculine. And then there was his face. Alive and full of...handsome. His blue eyes sparkled just as bright as the yellow sun itself. He was gorgeous.

He suddenly stopped his dancing, and turned to look at a woman. She had short blonde hair that was tied in a bun on her head. She laughed and joked with the man for a moment before punching him in the arm. It wasn't hard, more like the hits she gave Urchin. The woman soon turned away from Mr. Handsome and began talking with a group of girls.

Yet, Ariel's attention wasn't on the girls. It was on that man. Bright eyes. Flippy hair. Creature friend. Whatever his name was, she wanted to know it.

"I cant find the fascination," Urchin said, directly beside her. She hadn't even seen him climb on. "They look like us, just, with two fins. Nothing interesting about them. I mean, aren't _we _the awesome ones? They probably cant even hold their breaths for more than a minute."

"Look," she whispered, paying no attention to his words "Look at that one." she pointed to the man she had been staring at.

Urchin snorted. "That one? He looks like Fin's younger brother. You know, the one who has chronic gas and cant stop burping and eating clam shells. I think he had explosive diarrhea the other day...or that's what he called it."

"No," she insisted "He's unique...and definitely not related to Fin."

"Why do you sound like that?" he asked. Never in his life had he heard her talk so...soft. It was almost like she was whispering a secret to him. She sounded tired, dreamlike. Then...a thought crossed his mind.

"You...you dont, like, _like _him, right? Cause you know he probably eats Calamari and Caviar, I heard they eat those."

"Not him," she said, stubbornly "He wouldn't eat that stuff."

"How would you know!" he said, angry "You dont even _know _him."

Suddenly, she was quiet. Urchin feared for a moment that he may have hurt her feelings or something. But, how could he not be angry? She was going all dreamy-eyed on him, looking at someone else. She was supposed to be looking at _him _that way.

Not that it was set in stone, but he had expected them to eventually be together. It just made sense. They were best friends, they knew everything about eat other. They _needed _each other. How could she turn all of that away with one look at some...land lover?

"Your right," she said quietly "I _dont _even know him."

Urchin was proud. This was probably the first time he had ever talked sense into her.

Urchin: 1 _ Ariel: 0

"But," she said "I _want _to know him. And in order for that to happen, I've got to get to him first. I...I got to find away to get to him."

Urchin: 1 _ Ariel: 0

Urchin: 0 _ Ariel: 1

"How are you gonna do that? Ariel, look. He's got legs, you dont. I doubt he'll waste anytime talking to you, instead, he'll get his guards and you'll be tested on. Is that what you want?"

"Right again, Urchin." she said, but the way she said it, it was like...she had a plan. Over the years, he'd learn that that was a _very _bad thing. "I've got to pay someone a visit, Urchin. You coming?"

"Now?" he asked "Its the middle of the night, and...who exactly do you have to see?"

She took a deep breath, "Ursula."

"The sea witch?"

She quickly covered his mouth and nodded her head. She knew he would overreact. It was in his nature.

"No way," he said, crossing his arms. "She's no good. She'll kill us. You'll die. And...and...scuttle will be all alone. Come on, stay for Scuttle."

"Nope," she said, defiantly, "I'm gonna go see her tonight. Trade in something cool for legs."

"How about Scuttle," Urchin said "You could trade him in." he shook his head "Ariel, no. This isn't going to work. Did you plan to just come out of the water, see him, and he'll drop down and beg you to marry him? Its not going to happen."

"I have to try," she told him, hoping back into the water.

She'd do anything for that man. She'd do anything for a chance to be _with _that man. A small part in the back of her mind told her that she was being foolish. Urchin was right about one thing, she didn't know this man. He could have been a killing fisherman for all she knew. He could have been responsible for her mothers death. He could be anyone, and yet, she felt as if she needed to be with him.

Whether this was love at first sight was a mystery to her, but she'd find out soon enough. She was brought out of her mind by Urchin, who crashed into her hard.

"Urchin!" she said, pushing him away.

"Sorry," he shouted "The waves have gotten crazy."

She noticed for the first time that the _had _gotten crazy. The crashed into each other with furry and vengeance.

"Come on!" Urchin yelled, pulling her by her arm "We have to go down, it's too dangerous up here."

"Wait," she said, pulling against his arm. She looked back at the ship, it rocked dangerously back and forth. "That boat doesn't look safe. What if-"

"Come on!" Urchin argued "It's probably supposed to do that. You know human things, they're crazy!"

A bright bolt of lighting flashed in the sky.

"Ariel!" Urchin screamed.

Another bolt of lightning hit the water, only feet away from them. The water exploded up in a mountain of water. Urchin flinched as he felt the water heat up. It burnt his very skin. He looked around, only to see Ariel hoping in and out of the water towards the ship. He called her name, but their surroundings was too loud. He swore under his breath, and followed her as fast as he could.

By time he reached her, she was already at the boat, trying to get back on her ledge to see better.

"Ariel, we cant stay here," he pleaded with her "That hairy guy'll be okay."

Another bold bolt of lightning lit the area, this time, catching a sail on the ship.

"Urchin, look!" Ariel screamed, her finger pointing at the flames, as if he didn't see it himself. The waves crashed onto both Ariel's and Urchin's backs, pushing them in random directions. Even louder than this, though, was the sound of the humans. They screamed and cried, yelling at each other.

The humans were quick though, Urchin had to give them that. The ship had been on fire for no more than 30 seconds, and already, they had found a way to duplicate little boats. They all crowded onto the mini boats, still screaming and crying.

Ariel searched for the boy. He had to be somewhere. She ducked under water and came up closer to where the smaller boats were. She made sure to stay out of sight, someone might have seen her and tried to help her onto one of the boats.

She was near tears when she finally spotted him. He was helping that group of girls that had previously been laughing and talking. Every one of the girls were in tears and clearly disoriented. They lost there footing and ended up going the wrong way. The boy, though, kept them, in check. He grabbed them pushing them in the direction of a waiting boat.

The girl with the blonde hair was stumbling though. Her bun had come undone and she now had wet shoulder length hair that blew in the frigid wind. She jumped back a bit when a piece of the boat, still on fire, slammed down in front of her. She didn't scream, didn't cry, just turned and made her way in the other direction.

Ariel blew out a sigh of relief when she saw the boy come, heave the blonde over his shoulder, and took her to the boat with the other crying girls.

Ariel waited, the boy was about to get into the boat, it was already lowering slowly. He was almost there, one of his feet were in, but he stopped and turned around.

"Eric!" the blonde shouted, her face etched in fear as she tried to reach for the boy.

_Eric. That was his name. Eric. _Ariel sighed. What a handsome name. She shook her head from his handsome name. He was missing his boat, it was gently dropping into the water now. She watched as Eric disappeared onto the ship.

Despite the girl's protests, the man on their small boat was rowing away. Even when the blonde brutally punched the man in face, he still kept going. A pretty girl with brown hair tied back in a ribbon held the blonde back, as she was trying to get in another hit. Another girl, one who had long blonde hair, had to pitch in. obviously, this short haired blonde girl was tough.

A loud splash was heard right next to Ariel. She gasped, ducking her head under water. Looking up through the rough currents, she saw four furry legs, swimming furiously. Coming back up, with gasps and spits, she saw one of the girls, one with short black hair and very pale skin, calling the creature.

"Max! Come 'ere boy. Come here, Max!" she called.

Max, the creature, gladly swam her way. Once he was safely on the small boat, despite the rowing mans objections, the girls turned their attention back to the ship.

Ariel prayed. Hoped. Wished with all her heart that Eric would just jump off and get to safety. He risked his life for a furry animal, surely that meant he was a good person, right? He didn't deserve to die. Oh, if she had legs she would climb up the side of that boat and save him.

Suddenly, a loud explosion sounded and Ariel jumped back a little. She didn't see anything. Another loud explosion sounded, but this time it was louder and she could see the ship as it blew out into a million pieces. Urchin grabbed her out of nowhere, pulling her back and out of the way of falling wood, some still lit on fire.

She screamed, not sure if it was his name or another random word. Yet, she could barely be heard over the boat of now screaming girls, crashing waves, and lightning that was still striking and lighting the night sky.

She cried, not caring if anyone saw her or if anyone thought she looked undignified. She was a princess yes, but she had just lost yet another person. Someone she really wanted to get to know.

"Urchin," she said, her voice barely audible "Could you do me a favor?"

Urchin, who in truth was captivated by the explosion barely turned his head to her, hoping not to miss something else that may occur. "Yeah, sure."

"Can," she started, looking towards the girls who cried and held each other "...Can you make sure that boat gets to shore?"

"What boat?" Urchin asked, peeling his eyes away from the sinking ship, so that he could look at her.

"That one," she said, pointing to the girls, "I just want to make sure they get to land."

"How?" he asked "It's not like I can just go over and say 'Hey! Follow me if you want to live!'"

"You could just swim under it, pushing it in the right directions."

Urchin still wasn't so sure, but he had a feeling she wanted to be alone for a moment. If he didn't freakin' love her, he'd of said no, flat. "I'll try." he said, disappearing under the rough waves.

Once Urchin disappeared, Ariel swam to the little remains of the boat. The area was lit by the burning wood, but she knew it wouldn't last long. She lifted herself onto a floating piece of wood, and sat on the edge. It supported her weight well. Maybe, Eric had found a good piece of wood. Or, her inner voice said, maybe, he died like a normal person would think.

Shaking her head, she allowed tears to flow freely, even allowing a small hiccup. She never got to know him, but she had her heart set on getting to. And now, she'd never get the chance. He was dead and she had to except it.

_ She didn't even know him. _Why was this such a big deal? She didn't know, but she didn't care either.

She jumped, nearly sending herself back in the water when she heard a splash. She slowly put her weight on her arms, gently lowering herself back in the water. She doubted any dolphins were playing in this storm.

She sunk down, so that only her eyes could be seen. She couldn't risk someone seeing her. Not like this.

"Hello?" she asked, gently. If it were someone who needed help, she would help them. Tail or no tail.

"Is, is anyone here?" she asked again.

She was beginning to lose hope for this person when she heard another splash. She swam quietly, trying not to scare anyone or miss any other sounds.

Then...she saw him. Soaked and barely conscious, holding on with all his might to an empty barrel that sunk quite a bit under his weight. _Eric._

She suppressed her overjoyed feelings as she saw him sink under the water. Diving down after him, her previous smile disappeared as she struggled to get him back to the surface. Human Facts 101: They _cannot_ breathe under water.

She broke the surface, barely able to breathe, but was able to get his head to tilt back on her shoulder. _He'll be okay. He'll live. _She told herself. He had to. For her own sanity. If he died...it would be...selfish. He needed to stay for her. For those crying girls. For the whole freakin world.

She backstroked with one arm through the rugged waves, holding tight to him with her other arm. The water beat her from all angles, sending her underwater numerous times. She struggled, trying to stay above it. He needed to breath, she needed to stay above the water.

Her throat kept clenching up and her body ached from her going in and out of the water. She couldn't switch modes that fast. Underwater. Out of water. Underwater. Out of water. It was hurting her body more than ever before.

Fortunately, as she got away from the ship remains, she also got away from the storm. The water calmed a bit and the air had less of a deadly charge. Switching arms, she backstroked with her other arm. _He'll be okay._

The sun was rising, its painful glare blinding her eyes. Urchin should have made it to shore with the girls by now. Ariel, now, was tireder than a old sea mollusk. Her arms were so numb she had to check to make sure she still had them. Her tail ached and all she really wanted to do was sleep.

She was sure, though, that Eric was breathing. His chest rose and fell gracefully, totally unaware that he was being dragged through the ocean by a mermaid. She hoped he stayed unaware. Or, at least until she got her legs.

After all night of swimming though, she finally spotted a bit of orange...or more importantly: land!

With renewed energy, she wrapped both her arms around Eric's chest and swam as fast as she could. She was almost there. She could make it. She could-

"Ariel!"

She hardly slowed down her swim. "Follow me, Urchin. I cant stop now!"

Within seconds, he was beside her, keeping up easily. "I've been looking all over for you. Searched all morning."

"Did you get the girls back to shore?" she asked, avoiding his concern.

"Yeah," he said, rubbing his shoulders "That boat rower has a good arm. He hit me at least nine times, and dont even get me started on pushing that thing in the right direction. It took me at least 10 minutes to figure out that I needed to push the front of the boat and not the back. You should have seen- what is that?" he asked, his gaze on the man in her arms.

_How had he missed that?_

"This," she said proudly, "Is Eric."

"Eric?" Urchin asked "You mean, Fins younger brother? He's alive?"

"He's not Fins younger brother, and yes, he is _very _much alive. Isn't that great?"

"Swell," Urchin deadpanned, "Just swell."


End file.
